Thursday, February 14, 2013

Content Highlight – Fugu/Blowfish (Tetraodon/Arothron)

If
you like Japanese food, be careful when you try fugu. Some organs of this fish
are very poisonous. The chef, who wants to prepare the fugu, must go through a
three-year training to recieve a special license.

Blowfish
are a medium-sized fish (up to 60 cm) with a beak-like mouth. They have a
rounded body without scales, or with tiny spikes, and no ventral fin. The
Japanese name "Fugu" translates into "river pig". Blowfish
can suck water into a special stomach chamber and expand their body, similarly
to a porcupinefish. The blowfish is the first fish whose genome has been
completely read.

The blowfish is
considered a delicacy in Japan, although it is deadly dangerous. The tissues of
this fish (especially reproductive organs, liver, intestines and skin) of some
blowfish contain the poison of tetrodotoxin. First signs of poisoning appear in
30 minutes after ingestion. Numbness of the tongue, lips and fingertips come
first. Next are headaches, fatigue, lassitude, speech impediment and difficulty
to breathe. Gradual paralysis of breathing muscles follows, with a coma and
death within 24 hours after eating a blowfish.

Countless natural history treasures are deposited in museums across the world, many hidden away beyond easy access. The OpenUp! project represents a free portal to these resources, offering virtual access to over one million items of the world’s biodiversity heritage. The objects made available through OpenUp! consist of high quality photos, videos and sounds, as well as natural history artworks and specimens, and include many items previously inaccessible to visitors. Information provided through OpenUp! will be checked by scientists and made freely available through the Europeana portal at www.europeana.eu.